Palomino?

[paflyfisher]

Went out on Saturday morning to fish and saw what I thought was a dead fish - belly up. Then got closer and thought maybe it was log that was in the water - very light in color. Then the log swam away and returned back to its holding pattern. I got closer and realized it was a trout. I have never seen one - but heard people say it might be a palomino - but I thought it was a golden trout?

Question - are they the same and is that common in SW PA? It measured about 21 inches! A real monster.

PS - I did not catch it either. I must have put it down when I got closer.

[Benjo]

mos def, palomino. I used to fish for those mutants when I lived there. They are all the progeny of one mutant "albino" trout that the state of PA bought from WVA I think. They are stocked for their ability to hide from predators wherever there is a flourescent orange bottom.

[Royal Wulff]

paly, RW here,

They are indeed palaminos....golden rainbows actually. If you look closely at one (assuming you catch one) you can see the faint pink along the lateral line. Pennsy still stocks them and I've caught dozens of them when I lived in Jersey. New Jersey used to stock them too, but gave up raising them years ago. They are hardpressed to hide from predators because of their colors and apparently have a high mortality rate because of that. Blue Herons have a hay-day with them. They are a beautiful fish though.

P.S. Where in So. Western Pennsy? I'll be in Bedford County on Wednesday.

Later, RW

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"We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours." -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-




[This message has been edited by Royal Wulff (edited 23 May 2005).]

[paflyfisher]

Thanks for the information.

Benjo - they do blend in well with those traffic cones I see so often!

RW,
SW - in Westmoreland county.

[Bamboozle]

From the PAFBC website:

Species overview: The golden rainbow trout is a gold-orange rainbow trout raised under artificial fish culture conditions and stocked as a novelty for angling sport. The golden rainbow was developed from one fish, a single female trout with a genetic mutation that gave her a mixed golden and normal rainbow trout coloration. She was found in the West Virginia hatchery system in 1954. Through selective breeding with regularly marked rainbow trout, an all-gold, golden rainbow trout was developed. In 1963, this fish strain was popularized as the ?West Virginia Centennial Golden Trout.? Pennsylvania and other states hybridized the pure strain of West Virginia golden trout with normal rainbows and produced palomino trout, which were true genetic palominos. Palomino trout were first stocked in Pennsylvania in 1967. Since then, the genetic strain in Pennsylvania has weakened, but in recent years the hybrid was selectively bred back closer to the stronger, better-colored golden rainbow trout. Although palominos were stocked as both average-sized and large trout, today?s golden rainbow is raised only to trophy size for anglers and stocked throughout the state.

The golden rainbow trout is a different species than the golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita) of some California streams. In fish hatcheries, the rainbow trout has occasionally produced other unusual genetic mutations, such as the blue rainbow trout, whose body color is sky-blue.

Identification: Golden rainbows are a deep golden-yellow in body color, with pinkish lower fins, pink or red tones on their cheeks and with the rainbow?s reddish lateral stripe. There is no spotting on the body or fins. The Pennsylvania record golden rainbow trout is over 11 pounds.

Habitat: The golden rainbow trout?s habitat preferences are identical to those of the normally colored rainbow trout. It is stocked throughout the state in appropriate trout waters. No rainbow trout or golden rainbows are planted in the Lake Erie watershed.

Life history: The golden rainbow is reared in fish culture stations. Spawning in the wild is unlikely, because golden rainbows are highly visible in streams both to anglers and predators like blue herons and ospreys. Golden rainbows and palomino rainbows grow larger and faster than regular rainbows. They have ?hybrid vigor,? a trait often seen in crossbred plants and animals. Their food preferences are similar to those of other trout.

Here in WV, we call them "markers". Where they are lying, there are sure to be others somewhere near them. The state even stocks them in the C&R areas, even though they cannot reproduce.

They are, however, somewhat difficult to catch. I have only landed one on a fly rod, and it was in VA.

You should see them in a hatchery, a trough of those things will hurt your eyes.

Chris

[paflyfisher]

Guys,

Is there a specific strategy to catching them versus other trout? They seem to hold more on the bottom and not eat.

[Bamboozle]

paflyfisher:

Don't target them and use some marabou.

If I remember correctly I caught my first on marabou crappie jigs fished on an ultralight spinning rod. Every one I've caught since I've been fly fishing have been on Wooly Buggers, black or olive.

I hate them myself; the herons can have all they want.